Twenty Days
by Winged-Wolf13
Summary: When a stranger is suddenly thrown into his life, Roxas is left with no choice but to solve the many mysteries that appear with him. And not only will his own past be brought into question, but his future as well. Axel/Roxas.
1. One to Ten

This idea bit me in the middle of Finals on Monday, but I was too busy to write it then. So since today was a snow day I sat down and began writing as much as I possibly could. This is part one of two, and, well, it's a weird little fic, haha.

Based off a true story, which is actually an experiment I'm doing right now. Not to such an extreme, of course. But an experiment all the same. Try it if you'd like, it's fun! Tell me the results if you do, please.

I'll update with part two in the next day or so.

**Disclaimer: **Kingdom Hearts isn't mine. Obviously.

**Warnings: **General weird. Bit of violence. Swearing. Creepy!Axel.

* * *

That first day, with the cool press of a hand taking his own, of rubber and fibers and the caress he felt, but wouldn't acknowledge, Roxas began his twenty day journey in the pursuit of love.

* * *

They'd been complete strangers not twenty days ago, sordid glances and curious stares, aquamarine on malachite, being their only form of contact. Of connection. Yet even then, in that minimal, nervous glance, something began to grow between them. Perhaps it was recognition, a familiar face in a crowd they each walked of their own accord. Maybe it was just the pursuit of having a kindred spirit that made the flicker of their eyes last longer and longer. That made it, eventually, so much harder to tear away.

Roxas pretended it didn't matter that they'd only known each other for the length of three weeks.

Stubbornly accepting that, really, fate was all it had ever been.

* * *

He'd been skateboarding home that first evening, backpack heavy, slamming into his back each time he dropped his foot to push himself faster, farther. Wind in his hair, his eyes, fresh and clean, the sun quickly falling over Twilight Town, giving it that dusky, hazy look it was known, and popular, for. Everything had been okay, right, and most importantly, _normal_. Not a care in the world for the homework in his chemistry folder, or the cars whizzing by, curious stares from one and all watching him careen down the path. Mind focused only on the sea salt ice cream waiting impatiently for him back home, Roxas had failed to see the spindly man exiting the front gate of a nearby home. Cigarette hanging loosely from his lip, just as guileless to the danger streaking towards him as the projectile himself, the result of their ignorance was inevitable.

That hadn't stopped the pair of them from shrieking when Roxas collided with the now, quite aware, man.

Limbs hit cold sidewalk, Roxas' skateboard rolling on down the path without him. Immediate headaches began to rage, tempers flared, but dwindled as the throb of scraps and bruises rose to surface. The man was the first to completely recover, his gangly limbs flopping about as he righted himself, long-fingered hand scratching at the great mane upon his head. Flowing red and orange, like a fire burning upon a long, long candlewick.

"Shit," the stranger seethed, hissing in pain as he rubbed a nail over a rising lump, "you hit me pretty hard, kid."

"Sorry." Roxas breathed, heaving himself up, brushing away dirt and sidewalk, a cut that bled freely on his calf. "I didn't even see you there."

Smiling sheepishly, "You wouldn't have hit me if you _had_, would you?"

Roxas tried to grin, failed, and took the hand the stranger offered him once he'd stood, albeit clumsily. He heaved a sigh of relief as he tottered gingerly on his feet, already preparing for a chewing out, or an apology that he wasn't exactly sure how to word. But even before his heart had calmed, the stranger was stepping away, hands raised in submission, "Sorry about that. Take care, kid."

And Roxas could only watch as the red-haired beast turned and dashed away, only glancing once, very briefly, over his shoulder.

"What a weirdo." He grumbled, but then he glanced down, noticing the rub of something quite unfamiliar against his palm. Unfurling his fingers, he stared dumbly at the item in his hand, knowing immediately what it was, but ultimately confused. And then...

"What the hell?"

* * *

Silly Bandz were a pretty popular thing amongst students those days. It seemed that, no matter where you went, every wrist had one or two dangling from it. Some had so many that it was hard to believe that, behind all that rubber, human flesh could be found. Roxas had come across the bands in stores, seen the price and thought,_ 'Why didn't _I_ think of that?'_

They weren't anything special, that was for sure. So it was a rubber-band that held its shape. Big deal. _He_ certainly didn't have a wrist full of them.

… Well. He had _one_.

A quick glance down at his wrist told him that, yes, the bright green star he'd slipped over his bony hand was still there. It was the very same band that the strange, lion-maned red-head had slipped him, and why Roxas had kept it, he wasn't quite sure. But he had, and seeing as how it wasn't doing him any harm, he decided that it wouldn't kill him to keep it.

Although, wearing it to school the next day was completely out of the question. Hayner would chew a hole in his eardrum with the laughter the band would incur.

Sighing, Roxas took the pen he'd been chewing on from his mouth and went back to his Chemistry homework, staring dumbly down at the valence electrons he was supposed to be arranging.

* * *

At school the next day, his wrist was bare, the memory of the stranger one he had almost forgotten at that point. It was a brief encounter, nothing but a blip on the radar of their lives. But one that, to his initial horror, would surface again.

He'd been sharing a sandwich with Pence, Hayner and Olette on the grass outside the school, a quick lunch in the shade opposed to the noisy clutter in the cafeteria. Olette was laughing, Pence blushing slightly as he scratched at the back of his head, Hayner choking on his sandwich as he tried to continue the story he was recounting. Roxas could only watch, mouth full of peanut butter and jelly, and smile at his friends' antics.

Sucking at the water bottle he'd brought along, he nearly choked on it when someone slammed into him from behind, throwing the both of them to the ground.

Through the grass in his mouth and the cold water seeping into his shirt, Roxas could hear Hayner yelling, "Hey! What's wrong with you, 'ya moron? Get off of him!" and the weight on his back was lifted, pulled away, thrown backwards by his overprotective friends.

Olette helped him up, patting his cheek, picking grass from his hair as he tried to dust his clothes off. He could hear Pence and Hayner reasoning with whoever had tackled him, and he was fully expecting to see Seifer, or maybe even Rai or Fuu, sneering back at him when he turned.

But it turned out to be none of the above, and instead, a pixie-like girl stood bashfully before them, blushing heavily, trying to explain herself.

"He said I had to run into him. I'm sorry, I really am. I was sort of conned into it, you know? Regardless, I won't do it again." Roxas could see it in her eyes that she was just as confused as he was when she circled past Pence and Hayner to rush to him, "He wanted me to give this to you."

Somehow, Roxas knew what and who was being spoken of before the bracelet was even in his hand, and as the girl turned to leave, eyes the same color as his own, she smiled apologetically, "Sorry again."

And then she was gone, leaving three curious eyes to stare at her back, and a glare that was directed at nothing and no one other than the bright blue key in his palm.

* * *

"What do you think of this one, Roxas?"

Groaning, said blond turned his head to where Olette stood, modeling before the large, changing room mirror. "It's fine, Olette. And, ah, are you about done? I'm _starving_." Growling, his empty stomach accentuated the fact. Olette only rolled her eyes, slipping back into the changing room to try on yet another ensemble.

Eyes falling closed, Roxas leaned back in his seat once more, legs thrown out haphazardly, arms thrown up behind his head, spine stretched tight, he was pretty comfortable. But his empty stomach, and the sheer fact that he was shopping with a girl made him mentally uncomfortable. When he'd woken that morning, the new message on his cell told him that Hayner and Pence had been assigned an English assignment that was going to have them busy all day. Olette had mentioned needing some new clothes, since many of hers were, as she said, _getting old_. He'd known right then that he'd be spending the day looking at shoes and tank-tops, jeans and makeup. Olette might not have been the most feminine female he knew, but she still liked to shop. And she was still as slow as any other girl when it came to deciding between the orange shirt or the white one.

Yawning, Roxas let his eyes fall closed and tried to nap away the next hour or two, but a shout from outside the store caught his attention, and when he opened his eyes, peered out the large, flat-glass window across the room, he saw a bristly, red-haired man staring back at him.

"Shit." Roxas groaned, eyes rolling. This guy was beginning to creep him out, what with knowing where his school was, not to mention that he was capable of getting people to freaking _tackle_ him just to deliver another of those stupid rubber-bands. But the man had already seen him, had entered the store with a merry welcome chime, and approached him before he could scramble from his seat and hide behind the nearest rack of clothes like the child he was.

"Hello again, kid." He said, smiling brightly, a hand briefly raised. All limb and sinew, long torso and, impossibly, longer legs, he thrust his hands inside his pockets and simply stood there, beaming down at Roxas.

"Uh. Hello... you."

Chuckling, "Ah, that's right, you don't know my name yet." The stranger tapped at his chin, a hand on hip hip, and then glanced over to the changing room. "Girlfriend in there?"

Bristling, Roxas rose from his seat, "That's none of your business. Just leave, alright? I don't need any trouble from you."

Backing away, hands raised in dismissal, the redhead smirked, "No worries, kiddo. I'm not as creepy as I look. And trust me, my intentions are innocent. I've even brought you something."

Roxas tried to protest, but quieted when the man lifted the hem of his thermal, long-sleeved shirt. A rainbow of colors and shapes were strapped there, hundreds in number, climbing, probably, up the entire length of his arm. It was a wonder the man hadn't lost all function of his hand yet, what with the blood being cut off the way it most likely was. He held his arm up, eyes scanning it carefully, then made a noise of discovery and picked out a hot pink band, yanking it up over the others. It was Roxas' time to raise his hands in submission, backing away, "Hey, look, enough with the bracelets. I don't even like them. See," he held up his own wrist, completely bare, "I'm not even wearing the ones you've given me so far."

Pausing, the stranger narrowed his eyes, seeing that, truly, Roxas' wrist was bare. "What? You don't like stars and keys?"

"Not particularly." He shot back bluntly. But apparently, the stranger didn't seem to mind all that much, because where he'd once been frowning, he now smiled, reaching out to snatch Roxas' hand in his own.

Struggling, he tried to pull away, but the lean, towering man overpowered him, sliding the band over his flailing fingers. With that done, he ruffled Roxas' hair and turned to dash away, leaving Roxas gaping and heaving for breath as he watched that flaming mane turn the corner and disappear once more.

But this time, he knew he'd be back.

Olette didn't waste any time leaving the changing room, clothes a bit disheveled from her having hastily thrown them on. "What was all that noise? Who were you talking to?"

Roxas didn't answer her, not immediately. His attention was on the band, freed from his wrist, that was busy unraveling in his open palm.

It was a truck.

"It was nothing. No one. Just, ah... are you about done here?"

* * *

Before he went to bed that night, belly full of popcorn and soda from the movie he, Hayner, Pence and Olette had gone to see after they'd all finished their errands and work, Roxas set the pink truck down by the star and key. They were a motley trio, scrunched up and messy by his lamp.

He scoffed, shook his head at the insanity of it all, and flicked the light off.

* * *

Over the next three days, he acquired a red rose, a black skate, and a purple letter A.

Each and every one had earned him a bruise or a scrape in one way or another, be it from being violently attacked by people at school he'd never met before, or by the strange man himself, who appeared randomly, and never stopped to stay.

Roxas had spent many an hour trying to decode the message behind the bands, trying to decide if it was just whatever the man hadn't wanted at the time, or if there was some kind of meaning to all the shapes. The first two, the key and the star, seemed completely unconnected. It helped to think that when he thought back on how the stranger had pondered which shape to give him, and how he'd realized Roxas wanted nothing to do with the first two.

But even then, how were the other three? What did a rose, a skate and the letter A have to do with one another?

* * *

When next they met, Roxas wore all five of the shapes on his right wrist. The strange, lanky man looked elated, grinning as he pulled his sleeve up to show off his own bracelets as well.

"I see you've taken a liking to them then!"

But Roxas, unperturbed, shook his head, "What the hell are you getting at anyway? Why are you giving me these?"

"'cause you're so darn cute." Flicking Roxas' nose, the red-head quickly backed off, laughing all the while at the pout on Roxas' face.

"That's not funny. Not even slightly. I mean, I don't even _know_ you. Now seriously, what are these for? What are you trying to say? And, better yet, are you stalking me?"

Completely ignoring the question, the man sighed and said, "You're not good at puzzles, huh? I thought you'd be smarter..." Ignoring the cry of indignation he received for that comment, he chose instead to scan his wrist once more, "Something else then... hm... yeah, that should work."

And this time, Roxas just held out his hand, resigned to his fate of being slowly drained of all sanity by this moron.

"Say _please_." The man drawled, chuckling manically, "Just kidding. Your hand, malady." Another glare, coupled by a smack at the hand gripping his own.

The band slid over his fingers, over the other bands, and snapped cleanly onto his wrist. He didn't know what it was, or had been, only that it was bright orange. Winking, the man brought Roxas' hand to his mouth, and for the briefest of seconds, Roxas thought he would kiss it. But instead, he snatched it away, and this time, it was _his_ turn to walk away.

He didn't see it, but the man was smirking as he watched him leave.

* * *

It was a lion, and it joined the writhing, undulating mass of the other five as he chucked them all atop his Algebra II notes. He didn't glance at them again for the rest of the night, too busy playing video games with Hayner and Pence to care. Olette lay on her back in his bed, head over the edge, half-watching them and half-texting Kairi, who was probably doing something similar with her friends Riku and Sora. They spent the entire day night doing so, laughing and carefree, just happy to be among friends, among familiars.

And half a mile away, the man who had recently taken it upon himself to drive Roxas insane for the last six days was leaning against the arm of his couch, remote in hand. Lonely, he was doomed to spend an entire, joyless night pondering the blond he'd taken to as of late, wishing that it was the blond at his side, and not a ratty old pillow. His roommate, mussed up and half-awake, ambled past the TV in the darkness, scratching idly at his ass.

He rolled his eyes. 'cause yeah, having Roxas around would definitely be an improvement.

* * *

On the seventh day, Roxas was mentally prepared for whatever it was the stranger had in store for him. Be it a tackling group of strangers, an assault from above, a robotic mole set out to scamper up his pant-leg, he was ready. What he _wasn't_ braced for was the man to show up with an unconscious woman thrown over his shoulder.

They'd crossed paths near the place where they'd met that first day in a crash whose bruises and scrapes had long since patched themselves up. At the very moment that lion-mane had shown itself, Roxas had sighed, shook his head in despair, and soldiered on, cinching up the strap on his heavy backpack, skateboard tucked beneath his arm.

But then he'd seen the body beside the hair, and stopped dead in his tracks.

The stranger, however, seemed unperturbed, went so far as to wave a jolly hello and hasten his pace to join Roxas at his side. "Why hello there, kiddy! School just let out, has it?"

Instead of answering, he stared pointedly at the woman. Raising an eyebrow, the lanky man turned his head, seemed to realize for the first time how odd he must have looked, and turned back to Roxas with a grin, "Like what you see?" He jostled her body a bit, eliciting a groan that may have been a curse. "This is Larxene. Had a bit too much to drink, she did. And it's not even five yet. Tsk tsk. Tsk with me Roxas, c'mon, you know you want to."

Roxas did not. Instead, "Is she okay?"

"Of course. I found her sharing a sandwich with a raccoon and a hobo over by the highway. She passed out when she saw me though, probably playing dead so I'd leave her be. But, well, I don't think her pimp would like that too much." He smiled, completely genuine. And Roxas could only shake his head, praying the man wasn't serious.

And then, suddenly, "Oh! Right, I've got your present right..." he tried to remove a teal colored band with only one hand, found he couldn't and held his hand out for Roxas to remove it himself. But when the boy took too long, staring awkwardly at the long-fingered fingers and bony knuckles, the red-head shrugged and pulled it off with his teeth instead, much to Roxas' disgust. "Right then, here 'ya go!"

And Roxas took it just to get the hell out of there.

But this time, he stopped and turned, watching the pair walk away, wondering just what exactly went on in such a persons life that garnered for such strange things...

Deciding to see what the band was this time, he rubbed it against the front of his shirt to clean it of the strangers spit (you never knew what strange lion-haired men had in their mouths) and then untangled it.

And to add to his growing collection, he now had a teal elephant.

* * *

Homework, notes and formulas aside, Roxas threw his new addition into the pile and seated himself with a huff. Arms crossed over the desk, chin seated comfortably atop them, he glared down at the dancing colors and twisted shapes, trying to figure out why he hadn't just thrown them all out at this point.

When no reason came to him, he reached out for the star and set it on his far left, then for the key. The truck came next, completely out of place compared to all the others. Then the rose, and the skate, which was also random as hell, confusing him to no end. He untangled the purple A from the lion and set them with the others as well. And the elephant, all fat and adorable in its rubbery state, and dropped it at the end.

Then... he just sat there. Head aching, eyes roaming over the stupid little bracelets, thinking, wondering, what they meant.

"Seriously, what's the pattern? Where's the sense in all of this?"

One minute he'd been ambling home from school, looking forward to nothing but his xbox and the dinner his mom probably had set out for him. The next, he'd been tumbling, crashing, scraping over the sidewalk, courtesy of none other than the gangly red-head himself.

Pulling at his hair in frustration, Roxas pushed away from his desk and threw himself into the heaping, dirty mess that was his bed. Another day, another mystery. He'd solve this eventually, and tell off his damn stalker while he was at it as well.

Yet, as he began to drift, lights on and door half-open, all he could think about was what shape would come next.

* * *

Only, that next day, the man was no where to be found.

Not that Roxas cared.

He went to school, enjoyed a nice, quiet lunch with his best friends, and then went home to share a tasty dinner with his family, glad that the school week was finally over. After bathing, doing his homework and playing a bit of RDR, he was up and ready for bed.

But something felt different. Empty.

It was probably just the fact that the strange enigmatic stranger he'd come to expect around every bend had suddenly disappeared. He should have been relieved. Yet...

A glance in the darkness, a gaze directed at his desk, told him that the bracelets were right where he'd left them, dancing in their little parade over his Chemistry notes and Government textbook.

* * *

It was Saturday morning, his mother had only just finished making him a heaping plate of pancakes, and his cell phone was vibrating in his pocket. He fished it out, a smile breaking over his face when he saw a picture of Hayner, Pence and Olette in front of the lot, struggle bats in hand, beaming up at him from the tiny screen. Scrolling down he found a single word, and with that alone he grinned and replied with a smiley face.

* * *

"Struggle?"

"You know it!" Grinning, Hayner threw his arm around Roxas' shoulders and pulled him close, "Between you and me, I think we've got this match in the bag. Hands down, man. See, Olette wants to try for once, and Pence offered to pair with her. And hey, I even got her to agree that whoever loses buys the ice cream!"

"Sweet." Roxas agreed. Hayner released him and went instead to taunt their opposing players, leaving Roxas to survey the others who were currently occupying the lot. Since it was the first day of the weekend, everyone had flocked together for a Struggle marathon, and he couldn't blame them.

But when a familiar swatch of red caught his eye, all the color in his face drained away.

"Of course." He groaned, knowing all too well that he shouldn't expected any less. Instead of agonizing over it, he turned back to his friends and hid among them, feigning ignorance as a shadow passed over them. He continued to laugh and grin with them, collecting bets and poking Olette playfully when she promised she'd win, but when their laughter died away, and his friends' eyes were drawn the the towering giant above him, Roxas knew he couldn't ignore it any longer.

Slowly, he turned, knowing fully well just who it was that was behind him. And, unsurprised, he glared up at the face of his strange stalker, who was sporting a lovely shiner.

"Hello again! Sorry I missed you yesterday, I had, ah, important business to attend to. You understand."

No, no, he didn't. But seeing the obvious bruise on the mans face, the split in his lip, he couldn't help but pity him a bit. That's why, when he reached out to pull Roxas aside, he followed him, turning to his friends to reassure them before doing so, "No worries, I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

They looked uncertain, most especially Hayner, who probably didn't want to risk losing Roxas when their Struggle match was next. The current occupants of the platform looked to be winding down as well, but Roxas assured him, "One minute."

And he left, following the red-head through the crowd and drifters, over to the shadows where they could talk in peace, or perhaps, where Roxas' screams couldn't be heard. He swallowed around the knot in his throat at that, turned to make sure that, yes, there really was a crowd of people who could save him if such a thing happened, and then gave his attention back to the strange, lanky man before him.

"So... figured it out yet?"

"Figured _what_ out?"

"Hm?" Raising an eyebrow, the man pouted, "Seriously? You still haven't gotten it?"

Roxas tried to ignore the fact that, coupled with the pout, the black eye made him look pretty pathetic.

"Well," He began again, "Maybe these will help. Don't think I've forgotten or anything!"

A white band over his wrist, "An antelope." The man supplied, grinning a cooky, sideways little smile. And then, "Ah, I had a tough time with this one. I'm nice, so I'll give you a hint. It's an X, for Xhosa."

Roxas lasted a good three seconds before he lost it. Laughter burst from him, manic and wicked, completely unsure of what to think of anything anymore, "Seriously? What the hell man? Xhosa?"

Clearly deflated, the man replied, "You know, Xhosa. As in, the South African Xhosa..." Trailing off, he grew quiet, scratching awkwardly at his nose. It probably didn't help that all Roxas could do was stand there and stare at him, eyebrow cocked, wondering just what the heck was wrong with this mans head.

"Anyway..." He tried again, "Do you get it now?"

Wanting to bash his brains in, Roxas shook his head, "You like African things? Like lions and antelope and elephants?"

"C'mon, Roxas, try a little harder, what's in a name?"

He groaned, exasperated, and tried to think, but something was nagging him suddenly. Something was wrong.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

Pausing, the man blanched, "Ah... what's in a name?"

"No," Roxas chuckled, on the verge of insanity now, wondering just what he'd done to deserve this, "before that. Did you... how do you know my name?"

"Fuuu-" Doubling over, the man rubbed at the bridge of his nose, "Shit shit shit. I did _not_ mean to say that."

"I bet you didn't! You stalker! You're stalking me, aren't you? It all makes sense now! Though, not really... the bracelets, totally random and stupid, but still, you following me around and all that jazz, it's because you're stalking me!"

"No no no! Look, Roxas, ah, it sounds so weird to call you by name, but look, look at me." Roxas did, albeit hesitantly, and not without the edge of a glare, and found the mans eyes almost... beseeching... "What's in a name?"

Deciding he was angry enough, and that he had totally earned the right, Roxas figured that it was okay to be a smartass at that point, "Letters."

"And what are letters?" The man asked, unfazed. Almost as if he'd expected that answer.

But Roxas didn't know what the next one, didn't know what else the man could be looking for. "I dunno... random squiggles and lines thrown together? Symbols? Markings?"

"And?" He urged him on, waving his hand frantically, a giant smile breaking out over his face. The pressure was on, and Roxas racked his brain for answers, then, suddenly, "Shapes."

Letting out a cry of triumph, the man practically leapt for joy, "Finally! Now, now, don't lose me yet, now... Names. Letters. Shapes. Think about it. Got it?"

Roxas nodded slowly, face twisting in confusion, "Got it?"

"Okay. Now... what is my name?"

"... you know, you could have saved us a hell of a lot of time if you had just skipped the whole bracelet thing and told me that first day, after, you know, I ran into you."

"Where's the fun in that?" Laughing, the man patted him on the shoulder, "C'mon, you know this. Just think about it! In fact, go on, go play Struggle with your little friends, you can tell me what my name is afterwords."

"Have you got amnesia or something? Why do I have to figure your name out for you?"

"I'm bored." Was the only answer he got, and with that, the red-head grasped him by the shoulder and turned him, pushing him over to the Struggle platform that his friends were already mounting.

He wasn't really sure how he was going to figure out the mans name when he was so busy smacking his friends around with a bat, but he thought he'd at least give it a try.

And, because his mind was so preoccupied, he shouldn't have been surprised when the final, yellow orb hit the ground, bouncing off the platform, and Olette cheered, "Free ice cream!"

Needless to say, Hayner wasn't happy with him.

* * *

Later on, over sea salt ice cream, the group laughed and chattered atop the clocktower railing, watching as the train went by and the people down below made their way home. Watching as, right before them, the sun began to set and Twilight broke out over their little town. And, despite the considerable loss of weight in his wallet, Roxas was happy. Even if, eventually, he would once again be thrown into chaotic confusion as the red-head reentered his life and demanded more answers of him.

But then Pence was telling him that his ice cream was melting, and all thoughts of that red-headed creep left him.

* * *

Until around midnight, when a sudden noise at his window woke him from his light slumber.

"You can't be serious." He grumbled, rolling out of bed to shuffle over to the window. Rubbing away the fog, Roxas peered down at the streetlamps below, agony rising in his throat when he saw an all-too familiar figure standing there.

"You've got to be kidding me. How the hell..." No, he didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to know how this man had figured out where he lived, and what his name was, and where he always happened to be. It was too strange, too surreal, and he honestly couldn't believe that it was happening to him of all people.

Happy, normal Roxas. The guy who just wanted to hang out with his friends and eat ice cream while watching the sun set. The guy who figured, hey, as long as he did his homework and made okay grades, everything would be fine.

Everything was so simple.

And yet.

It wasn't.

Another tap at his window startled him, and he opened it quickly to stop the onslaught of rocks before the freaking creeper below did something that seriously damaged his house.

"What?" He hissed. "What are you doing here?"

A singsong voiced echoed back up to him in reply, "What's my name, Roxas?"

"Antelope, Xhosa, Elephant, Lion!" He growled, "Obviously. Seeing as how that's the only clues you've given me so far!"

"C'mon, Roxas! You're so close! What's my name?"

"I don't _know_!" The blond screeched, much to his dismay. His eyes widened, heart quickened, and until he heard his mother and father settle back into their beds, he remained quiet. "Get away from my house! And don't talk to me anymore!" And with that, he pulled the window shut as quietly as he could, shutting the red-head out and sealing himself _in_.

After that, he pulled the curtains closed and turned, sliding down the wall to rest in the floor.

Antelope... Xhosa... Elephant... Lion...

What did the four have in common?

Roxas pushed aside the obvious things, like their African relations, and settled on the words themselves. Earlier they'd spoken of letters, right? He thought of the letters, the way they were arranged, what they ended with and began with...

And suddenly, he knew.

The star and the key had been completely irrelevant to it all. But the truck, trucks had _axles_. And the rose, well, he thought that one was just silly. _Axl_ Rose. Then there was the skate, which, if he remembered, there was a certain maneuver in figure skating where the dancer would jump and turn in the air, which, ultimately, was referred to as an _axel_. The A, which was the first letter _of_ Axel. At that point, he'd told the man that he really wasn't getting what the point was, and at that point he'd switched routes completely. In fact, he'd practically pitied him, practically written out the letters, and even then he _still_ hadn't figured it out...

But he knew now. He knew that his stalkers name wasn't Antelope, Xhosa, Elephant, Lion.

It was Axel.

Suddenly guilty, for whatever reason, Roxas felt that, at the very least, he could let Axel know that he finally figured out his damn name. So he rose from his seated position and drew the curtains away...

Only to shriek like a little girl when he found bright green eyes staring back at him from the other side.

Axel quickly yanked the window up, "Whoa, whoa! Relax, Rox! Relax!" Bringing his finger to his lips, he made a soothing, quieting noise, trying to stifle the boys cries as he shook.

But it didn't last long.

Roxas pulled back his fist and laid it square between Axel' eyes, nearly sending him right back through the window. Now he'd have a shiner on his third eye as well.

"Damn, Roxas! You've got quite a swing behind those tiny fists of yours."

"Want me to blacken your other eye?" Roxas growled threateningly, to which Axel only held his hands up, a smile on face.

"So... have something you want to tell me? Hm? Hm hm hm?"

"Ugh, do you ever shut up? … Axel?"

* * *

_Reviews Are Love!~_


	2. Eleven to Thirteen

This was supposed to be a Two-Shot. And now, for some reason, it thinks it needs to be a full-fledged fic. But don't worry, I'll beat some sense into it. This will be a Three-Shot instead. And I don't even know if those exist. Anyway, I digress.

**Disclaimer:** Kingdom Hearts isn't mine.

**Warnings:** Some swearing. General weird. Implied yaoi.

* * *

Suddenly, the ground wasn't beneath his feet anymore. Roxas let out a frightened little squeak, swept up into Axel's arms as the lanky man pulled him close and spun them together. Roxas pushed at the mans chest, staring earnestly at the floor his toes so desperately missed, all the while threatening to rip out the mans eyeballs and throw them out the window.

"Oh, Roxas, you stupid little boy, I thought you'd never figure it out! Now we can move on to the next matter!" With a glance at the clock and a confirmation that, technically, it _was_the next day, Axel dropped Roxas and tugged yet another silly band from his wrist.

"Oh, God no." Roxas scrambled to get away, but Axel tugged him in by the back of his collar, dangling a gray square before him.

"It's ice, by the way." Axel whispered in his ear.

Roxas face-palmed.

* * *

He should have known it was too good to be true. So he'd figured out Axel's name, big deal. It didn't keep the man from following him, nor did it stop the relentless gift giving. Roxas' wrist was so laden with rubber bands that his arm hair had begun to wear away. Only after a pitiful session of pouting and pleading did he agree to wear them all to begin with, but he had. And as to why, well, he didn't honestly know. He and Axel were still perfect strangers after all, name or no name. And yet...

Only a day had passed since Axel had scrambled into his window, had practically forced his name onto him. The gray band had been added to his collection, and Roxas had promptly shoved the red-head right back through the sill, telling him that, despite their on-name basis, he wasn't welcome within twenty miles of his house.

Later that day, when the sun climbed back into the sky and banished the moon for another dozen hours or so, Roxas left his home in favor of fresh air. His mind was occupied by many things, including his friends, the history paper he had, and Axel. Axel Axel Axel. He hardly knew the man, yet that name was becoming quite prominent in his mind. It was kind of creepy, because, well, the more he thought of him, the more Roxas felt that he was still missing something.

Something big.

But what?

Roxas wasn't quite sure, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before he figured it all out.

But as he was walking through town that day, he passed a small convenience store and found something that sent a chill up his spine.

In the window was an assortment of silly bandz. And at the bottom of each package, written in tiny print, were these words, "Pack of twenty."

It made him wonder... was Axel giving him the contents of one bag, or many altogether? Did that mean, if it _was_ only a pack of twenty, that when that final, twentieth day came around, Axel would finally disappear?

In some ways, he hoped so. But in others...

Grumbling to himself, Roxas blamed it on curiosity. Why else would he possibly care that such a creepy, creepy man would leave him alone?

But... what if he was wrong?

* * *

Monday morning, he attended school just as usual. Olette, Pence and Hayner were waiting for him on the front steps, waving as he drew closer. But upon closer inspection, he noticed that Sora was among them. When he looked though, Riku and Kairi were nowhere to be seen, which was quite odd, seeing as how the trio were just as inseparable as he and _his_ friends were.

"Hey, Roxas. Thought I'd join you all this morning, if you don't mind. Kairi called me this morning and said Riku was sick, so she stayed at his house today to take care of him. I got lonely, thinking I'd be all alone today." Sora pouted, and Roxas' heart immediately went out to him.

"No worries, you're welcome in our group any day, right guys?"

A murmur of agreement spluttered around the others, and Olette smiled, "I think it's sweet that Kairi would do that for Riku. Aw, they'd make such a cute couple, don't you think?"

Sora only laughed, but there was something unsettling in it. Roxas chose to ignore it, seeing as how his friends seemed to have missed it, but he ruffled Sora's tousled hair, giving him a smile, "C'mon, let's get to class, alright? What do you have first period, anyway?"

"Chemistry."

* * *

Sometime in the middle of third period, Roxas' cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Pence was sitting in the seat beside him, eying him knowingly. The blond was notorious for having an embarrassingly loud cell phone. Luckily, the teacher continued to teach, and all the other students around him paid him no mind.

Fishing the device from his pocket, he flipped the keyboard open and pressed a few buttons. Before reading opening the message he'd received, Roxas glanced up at the teacher once more, making sure that her lecture on the Treaty of Versailles was still going strong. Reassured, he allowed himself to take in the two word message and the number above it he failed to recognize.

_'You've changed.' _

… what?

His immediate thought was that this person, this unknown number and text, could only be the work of Axel. Angry, and a bit shaken, he typed back, _'Axel, how did you get this number?'_

The clack of a marker being closed made him hurry to switch his cell with his pencil, which saved him from being caught when the teacher turned right around and asked them to open their textbooks to page two hundred and forty three.

Class continued on, sections of the book read aloud as the teacher assigned certain parts to certain people. It was almost his turn when his cell vibrated once more.

_'I'm not Axel. But he agrees, you've changed.'_

Oh God.

"Roxas? Care to take the next part? Or are you too busy texting to care?"

Flushed, Roxas quickly stashed his phone back into his pocket, mumbling an apology to his teacher as he began to read.

* * *

As soon as the bell rang, Roxas rushed out, Pence hot on his heels, demanding to know what his problem was.

"Nothing Pence, don't worry about it. Just, ah, go to lunch okay, I'll be there in a few minutes."

And Pence had only been able to watch as Roxas promptly shut the door to the boys bathroom behind him.

Panting heavily, Roxas ignored the greeting Waka, a tall, muscular boy, threw him, darting into one of the stalls at the farthest end. Cell phone in hand, he opened it back upon only to discover that he'd received yet another message. This one, however, was from Hayner

'Pence said you're acting funny. What's wrong, kid?'

Kid. Axel called him kid. Oh God.

Typing back some nonsensical, half-assed reply, he sent the message and then re-opened the other, thinking for a moment about what it was he wanted to say to this mysterious person.

Finally, he settled with this.

_'Who are you?'_

The reply was immediate, startling him into a sweat.

_'You know who I am.'_

And a moment later.

_'But that isn't important.'_

Halfway through texting back another reply, the same number popped into his inbox once more.

_'Try and remember. The old days.'_

Roxas didn't even try to reply this time.

_'Before Twilight Town.'_

Finally.

_'Riku isn't sick.'_

Roxas' blood ran cold. His fingers frozen, brain frayed, he typed back a single word, but somehow knew there would be no reply. Nor would there be anymore messages in his inbox from that particular number.

_'Sora?'_

_

* * *

_

At lunch, his meal was sitting in his usual spot, friends settled around the tree they always were. Laughing, happy, clueless to the turmoil in Roxas' mind, he didn't trouble them with any details, choosing instead to simply seat himself and nibble on his apple.

But then, suddenly, he realized someone was missing, "I figured Sora would have joined us."

Olette paused, granola bar halfway to her mouth, "Sora went home, said he wasn't feeling well."

"He probably got whatever Riku had." Pence said. "Lord knows they share everything."

"You gonna eat that?" Hayner asked Roxas, effectively ending the conversation. Roxas shook his head numbly, losing the half-empty bag of goldfish he'd been half-heartedly eating.

What in the world... what was going on?

* * *

At the school gate, a man was waiting for him. They hadn't met at any point in their lives, but he extended his hand with a friendly, somewhat goofy, smile.

"Hello, Roxas. I'm Demyx, Axel's roommate."

"Nice to meet you." Roxas said exhaustively, simply glad that Demyx had enough sense to give his name upon a first meeting. "Let me guess, you've got something for me?"

"Sure do!... wait, how did you know?"

"I'm kind of getting used to weird stuff like this happening to me. And all of it seems to happen for the same reason. Usually involving-"

"One of these?" Demyx laughed, handing Roxas a multicolored bracelet. Roxas sighed and took it, untangling it until the monkey was in its rightful shape. "He's fond of animals."

"So I've noticed."

Demyx chuckled and patted Roxas on the shoulder, "Everything will make sense soon. But, ah, I feel like I should say something. Maybe like... Um. Well, Axel isn't as creepy as you think he is. His ways are just incredibly unconventional. Really, I think he goes out of his way to be weird."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Roxas gave a small smile, "So you know him pretty well, huh? What with living with him and everything."

Demyx beamed, "You know it! I've been friends with Axel ever since he-" All the color suddenly paled from the spunky blonds face, leaving him wide-eyed, mouth sealed, as he stared down at Roxas. "You didn't hear anything." He said quickly, hands up, feet carrying him away. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I've gotta go, it was nice meeting you! Later!"

"_Wait_!" With half a mind to run after the man, to hold him down and force him to speak, Roxas glared after Demyx until he disappeared from sight. "This is getting seriously old." He grumbled, shoving his hands deep inside his pockets.

With nothing left to do but head home, Roxas turned in the opposite direction Demyx had taken, and headed towards the park instead. Home was boring, and with a sheer lack of homework and things to do, he favored a walk and maybe a ride on the swing-set more than sitting on the couch. Besides, with the delivery of the bracelet, he'd gotten his daily weird out of the way, and was now free to do whatever he wanted. Sure, tomorrow would hold the same results, but he could handle that when it came.

At the park, silence was heavy. With nothing but the creak of chains and metal, Roxas peered from side to side, looking for signs of life, only to find that he was completely alone. It was odd, seeing as how many of the younger children of Twilight Town tended to migrate to the park after school. And yet, here he was, utterly alone.

At least that meant he wouldn't have to wait for a swing.

Taking his seat, which required a bit of awkward maneuvering, Roxas settled on the plastic support and took the chains in his hands. It was only after digging his feet into the ground and taking a few small swings that he realized just how lonely it was to be the only one there.

So he closed his eyes, and as the wind began to rush in his ears, he climbed higher and higher into the air, all the while diving deeper and deeper into memories he'd long since stored away.

* * *

Roxas hadn't always lived in Twilight Town.

In fact, he'd only been there for about five months.

Olette, Pence and Hayner had welcomed him immediately, taking him into their little group as if he were their missing piece, someone they'd always been waiting for. And he took advantage of that, feeling the warmth of their friendship, finding solace in their presence. It was much better than being alone, that was for sure. And it seemed like, back in the old days, that's exactly what he had been.

All alone.

Back then, there had been family, a friend or two, and that was it. Back then, his mind had been permanently blank, eyes dull, back bent. No one had paid him much mind, because most of them didn't think he actually _had_ one. He was more of a zombie than anything, and that continued each and every day of his life, on and on, until finally, something snapped.

At this point, he'd blocked most of it out. In fact, he could barely remember the faces of the people he'd been around back then, let alone their names. But he did remember, above all things, the white hot rage that had gotten him expelled.

Why had he been angry? That, he couldn't quite recall. He'd asked his parents a few things from time to time, only to be shut down.

_'It isn't important. Just forget it, Roxas. Those days are in the past.'_

Either they were hiding it from him, or it really _hadn't_ been important.

But then why, _why_was Sora bringing it back up? How had he changed?

And... how did Sora _know_ he'd changed?

He tried to remember, tried to delve deeper, but something blocked him. All that came was a wash of blurry pixels, of images that swam in and out of focus. There was a glimpse of red, a spray of blood, and his own face, reflected in a mirror, pale and dirty.

Horrified.

And then... behind him... a shadow, much taller and leaner, and a hand that, even then, completely engulfed his shoulder.

Whose...?

A voice, awash with panic, breaking the silence, his eyes turning in the mirror to find, in startling clarity, Sora and Riku in the bathroom doorway.

* * *

Roxas was startled into attention when the very same hand that had grabbed his shoulder in the dream shook him in the real world, pulling him away from the mirror and the faces of friends he'd forgotten weren't from Twilight Town as well. How could he have let that slip? How had he forgotten that Sora and Riku were just as much a couple of outsiders as he was?

"Roxas? Hey, you alright?"

Head turning, chains clanking in his hands, Roxas found Axel staring back at him. Bristling, he threw himself from the swing and rounded on the man, "What are you doing here?"

"I live near here, thank you very much." Axel said, his concern flying through the window. "What, is there some kind of height restriction on the park? 'cause if that's the case, where I've gone over, you've gone under."

Deciding to ignore the comment on his shorter stature, Roxas asked, "Do you know a guy named Sora? Maybe a Riku?"

Instantly, Axel's expression, which had been schooled into his usual half-smirk, fell blank. In fact, he almost looked angry. For a moment, he simply stood there, one hand on his hip while the other grasped one of the chains on the swing Roxas had vacated. Then, slowly, "I think you should go home now, Roxas."

"No! I want a straight up answer, and I know how hard that is for you, but I'm getting fed up. Tell me, do you know either of them?" At the look he received, Roxas added, "And don't lie. That won't help your position at all."

So Axel answered in his usual style, "I recognize the names. They're not uncommon in the more, ah, _tropical_, parts of the world."

"You're an idiot." Roxas snapped, throwing everything to the wind as his resolve finally broke. "All you do is make more questions out of questions. I ask you if you know Riku and Sora, you say you know the names. Which implies that you don't know the _people_. And they're the most important part! Why can't you just give me an answer? What are you hiding? What are _they_ hiding?"

"Because I enjoy confusing the hell out of everyone I know. And as for what '_they're_' hiding, I don't know the people you speak of, so I can't help you there. But, I reiterate, I think it's time for you to go home, Roxas."

"Why? Why do I have to go home?"

"Because it's going to get dark soon, and it isn't safe after dark. So just go on home, okay? And while you're at it... turn your cell phone off. Wouldn't want any nuisances texting you while you're trying to get some sleep, would you?"

"No... I guess n- Wait, what? How the hell did you know?"

But Axel, as always, was running away, laughing like a madman as he waved over his shoulder. Roxas wished he had some sort of weapon on hand, because he would have loved to take a chunk of out the red-heads skull at that moment. Dejected and confused, he headed home, but that night, he left his cell phone on. The bright, rectangular ring it cast up on the ceiling comforted him somewhat, knowing that, if anyone tried to creep up on him in the night, he'd be able to see exactly who they were.

And there would be no questions.

* * *

Before school, Roxas stripped his wrist of all the silly bandz he'd taken to wearing. After laying them down on the desk in their respective positions, he swept them all off in one fell swoop, sending them all flying into the trash can at the side of his desk.

His cell phone had lain quiet all night, and so had he, deep in slumber as he waited for the next day to arrive. Even as he shouldered his backpack and left his small bedroom, he felt no remorse for what he had done.

Once outside though, he started to wonder if it had been the smartest of moves. After all, Axel wasn't going to leave him alone until either all of this was settled, or Roxas called the cops. And even then, what could they have done? Axel hadn't hurt him, or tried to assault him, nor did Roxas have any proof that the man had done anything traditionally stalker-like, save for the fact that the man knew where he lived. But that wasn't all that hard to figure out, seeing as how Roxas walked home everyday, and just by knowing the layout and people on his street it could have been deduced which house was his just by catching a glimpse of him taking that particular road.

Groaning, he realized he was royally screwed, and that the only clues he'd been given to save himself were now lying in the bottom of his garbage can atop a couple of balled up pieces of paper and ice cream wrappers.

And to make matters worse, when he finally made it to school, it was Riku's turn to act strange. He approached Roxas before the blond could make it to the safe circle of friends waiting for him, and quickly pulled him aside. Just to be an ass, Roxas asked him if Sora was sick.

"Actually, yes, he is. Kind of ironic, isn't it?"

Suddenly, Roxas didn't feel very good at all. Riku was straight-faced, and ten times harder to read than even _Axel_was. Emotion wasn't something the silver-haired boy seemed to grasp, and instead of smiling to relax Roxas, he gripped him by the shoulder instead, kindling a fire of panic at just the sheer familiarity of it.

"It's time to remember, Roxas. You can't block us out forever. It's time to remember what you did, and who you saw. Who was with you."

"I don't want to." He said quietly. "I don't want to remember. It was something bad, I can't remember."

"Yes, yes you can. You remember me, don't you? I can see it, just in the way you're watching me. You know I'm not from Twilight Town. And you know Sora isn't either. But what about-"

"Don't say his name. I don't want to know that you're on close terms with him as well."

Riku made a noise in the back of his throat, a noise of disapproval and worry, and of thoughtful recollection, "You really are different. But you're still Roxas. You're still the good kid you were back then." Riku's hand slid down Roxas' arm, along his forearm, and into his hand, grasping it tightly, "But you used to be braver."

And with that, Riku tipped his head and left. Roxas looked down to find a crumpled slip of paper in his hand, folded in two. Yet even through the paper he could see the bright yellow of yet another bracelet. It was a guitar.

_'Instrument.' _The note read. And beneath it,_ 'We were a group of four. But you left. We followed. But who is we?'_

Who indeed, Roxas thought. He already knew, vaguely, who the others were. It was as if he knew, but he was afraid to say, unwilling to remember the past, and to accept who had been a part of it. Because, truly, he still couldn't remember. Not all of it, at least. What had happened, he wondered...

In the dream, there had been blood.

Before stuffing the note into the back pocket of his jeans, Roxas noticed that there was a sentence that had been erased near the bottom of the page. Whoever had tried to wipe the writing away however had done a half-assed job, and therefore he could make out what the words read. He almost chuckled.

_'Sora's not sick.'_

_

* * *

_

"So Roxas, we were thinking of going to the beach this weekend. Get some sun, some fresh water, do a bit of surfing... how does that sound to you?"

They'd opted for eating in the cafeteria, seeing as how everything weird seemed to happen outside. At the far corner of the eatery they'd taken their seats, bathed in the light of the windows. Hayner had immediately delved into a story of heroic bravery involving a fight he'd gotten into with Seifer in which he'd thrown himself over a balcony just to body slam the guy. But Pence and Olette had mostly ignored him, choosing instead to begin planning for a trip they'd all been saving up for.

"I think that sounds awesome." He replied, smiling. "Though, I'll need a new surfboard, seeing as how Hayner broke mine over Seifer's head."

"Hey! It was necessary! He was going to drop ice cream down my swim trunks!"

"So you bludgeoned him with my surfboard?"

Hayner blushed, grumbling to himself, "I didn't want to take any chances. But anyway, I'll buy you a new one, so no worries."

"Then we're going?" Olette asked them all, a bit starry-eyed as she imagined all the eye candy that would be spending the weekend on the beach. Plenty of tall, more mature guys to strike up conversation with, as opposed to her crew, who seemed enjoy video games and comic books more than girls. Although...

"Pence, didn't you say you were going to ask out Naminé? It would be perfect to do it now! She could come to the beach with us! I could spend time with my own _gender_ for once!"

"You just want us to rake in some girls so you'll have someone to shop with." Pence said through his blush, biting into a potato chip. "But I might... I dunno... You think she'd say yes?"

Roxas grinned, shoving Pence in a brotherly way, "Of course she will. Naminé is really nice, and so are you. And you're both kind of quiet at times. I think it would work if you wanted it to."

"Plus," Hayner added around a mouthful of sandwich, "she's pretty cute, too. A real catch, Pence."

"Don't talk about her like she's a fish!" Olette groaned, rolling her eyes at the immaturity of her friends, even at their age. Something had stunted each and every one of them, and just as boys younger their age were, they were very awkward when it came to women.

Except for herself, which did nothing for her ego. It made her one of the guys, and therefore nearly impossible to bring more girls into their tightly-knit group.

"Alright guys, alright. So we'll all meet at the train station this Saturday, okay? Pence, you can bring Naminé if she wants to go. Roxas, I'm putting you in charge of holding our money. I'll try to gather up all our funds by Friday, and then you can take over. And Hayner, you're going to buy Roxas a new board tonight, so don't go getting yourself into another fight!"

No sooner had she said it, Seifer waltzed in the room, lackeys Rei and Fuu at his side. Hayner had been in the process of untangling himself from their bench, but at Olette's words he settled back down, opting to glare and grumble instead at his long-time rival.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Roxas planned his trip to the beach. What they would do and who they would see, and the prospect of Naminé joining them, of perhaps even Seifer tagging along. It would be fun, and a nice parallel to the confusion and annoyance he'd dealt with for the last thirteen days. Even as the teacher assigned not only notes, but an essay as well, he was still in high-spirits, and as the final bell rang he practically skipped from class.

His friends were waiting for him in the main hall, grinning and laughing about something or another.

But Roxas never made it to them, because a hand suddenly appeared from the shadows and tugged him back. He turned just in time to see a head of silver-hair, and then was thrown into darkness as the door Riku had opened to grab him slammed shut once more.

Inside, it was cold, and Riku's eyes practically glowed in the darkness. Roxas stared back at him in worry, wondering what it was all about, and why Riku was acting so oddly.

"You can't leave Twilight Town." He said, voice hollow. Raising an eyebrow, Roxas shook his head in confusion, "What? Why?"

"You can't leave until you remember us, or everything will go wrong. Axel had to know _now_."

"I'll come right back, geez, Riku, chill out."

"You're not remembering fast enough." The boy replied, ignoring him. "Tell me, where did you use to live?"

"I..."

"Where?"

Sweating despite the chill, Roxas said quietly, "On the Islands."

Riku went silent, then sighed, "I'm sorry if I scared you. You can go on home if you'd like."

"What was all this about?" He asked, even as Riku re-opened the door and pushed him out. And even though he didn't answer, Riku smiled apologetically as the door shut once more, leaving Roxas out, and Riku in.

And Roxas didn't waste in time leaving, jogging to catch up to his friends who had disappeared, and who he hoped hadn't gone far.

* * *

When he got home, Roxas gave his mother a brief hello, tossing his backpack on the couch as he dashed upstairs to his room. She stared up at him, wondering what had possessed the poor boy, then turned back to her dishes, continuing the jaunty little tune she'd been humming prior to the interruption.

Upstairs, Roxas was digging one bracelet after another out of the trashcan, lining them up on his desk. As weird as things were getting, he wasn't going to throw his one chance at salvation away. Once they resumed their colorful little parade once more, he chucked the instrument down with them, rubbing his wrist where the rubber had rubbed his skin raw.

"Roxas?" His mother called up the stairs. Her voice sounded a bit worried, so he answered immediately, "Yeah?"

"Someones at the door for you."

Breath stilling, Roxas stared blankly at the door. What had she just said?

Someone was at the door for him? _Someone_? That meant whoever it was, she had no idea what their name was. Which meant he hadn't introduced them. And that only left one person.

Entertaining thoughts of sane people like Demyx, Roxas opened his door and made his way back downstairs. His mother walked back through the hall that led to the front door, a towel over her wet hands, and said, "I see you've been making new friends." Smiling, she disappeared into the kitchen, completely unaware of the look of horror on her sons face.

Cautiously, Roxas peeked down the hallway, only to find Axel's acidic green eyes staring right back at him. Bending over to reach Roxas' level, Axel widened his eyes comically, matching the look of despair on the blonds face perfectly, "Hello there, Roxy." He said, waving a bit. "Just thought I'd pay you a visit, give you your daily dose of Axel."

"Go away." Roxas hissed, shooing at the man as if he were a bug and not a lanky limbed human. "You're going to scare my mother."

"She seemed just fine a moment ago, kiddo." He said, inviting himself in. "Even said I was welcome in, if you were okay with it. What a nice mommy."

"Get out of my house." Roxas threatened him, glaring darkly. "You're really creeping me out."

"On the contrary, Roxy. You are the one creeping _me_ out, what with your freaky forgetting powers. How the hell does a guy forget everything and everyone he grew up with?"

"It's called therapy, dumbass. It helps. You should try it, 'cause you obviously need it. Stalking me everywhere I go, obviously you have unkempt feelings towards me. That makes you a pedophile, too! Get out of my house!"

"Hey, hey now." Axel retorted, looking a bit ruffled. "I'm only a year older than you, Roxas. And I'm not stalking you. If I was, I'd know what color your bedsheets are."

"_You've been in my room_." Roxas hissed, fingers flexing into claws. He was quickly making to approach the man, and to physically remove him from the front walkway of his home. But Axel held his hands up, grinning sheepishly, "Okay, so that wasn't the best example. If I was your stalker, well, I'd know what your school classes are! And your middle name. And what color your underwear you favor!"

"_Please_ tell me you don't know _any_ of those things."

"I don't." Axel said quickly, "But I do know who Sora and Riku are."

Surprised, Roxas cocked his head, pinning the taller man with a glare, "Oh, so now you know who they are? Tell me, what jogged your memory? Silly bandz? Did they give, say, eight of them to spell out their names for you?"

"Did you know they're in a taboo relationship?"

Roxas spluttered, turning quickly to make sure his mother wasn't within hearing range, then decided it would be better to just shove Axel outside. Closing the door quietly behind them, Roxas restarted his brain and, eloquently, "What?"

"Well," Axel began once more, tipping his head thoughtfully, "I guess taboo isn't the right word. Maybe forbidden. Or, well, maybe it would just be easier to say that they're together. In, you know, that way."

Eying the rude gesture Axel portrayed for his imagery, Roxas felt his eyebrows furrow.

_'Riku isn't sick.'_

_'Sora's not sick.'_

Why then, had they not been at school? First one, and then the other? And why had Kairi stayed home with the both of them?

"There's a girl, as well. They're in a polygamous relationship, I think. Either that or they just can't decide who is better." Chuckling at that, Axel grew quiet, thinking deeply.

Light-headed, Roxas tried to wrap his mind around what the man had just told him. But knowing that three of his friends were in such a relationship, made him feel a bit uncomfortable. It would have been better if Axel had never told him. It wasn't that he thought it weird, exactly. But he felt like it was something outside people didn't need to know. Something that was best left to the trio in question, and the trio in question _alone_.

"I guess they've changed just as much as you have. 'cause as I remember it, they would never have allowed anyone into their little relationship back in the day."

The creak of wood beneath someones shoes woke Roxas from his thoughts, but by the time he'd registered what the man had said, Axel was already halfway down his driveway.

But this time... Roxas gave chase.

Sprinting, he caught the red-head square in the back, bringing them both to the gravel. They rolled and wrestled, fighting for the dominant position atop the other, until finally Axel stilled and Roxas found himself with the advantage. Without thinking, he began punching every inch part of Axel he could reach, beating out his frustrations on the very man who had began them. He could feel the slide of blood beneath his knuckles, could feel flesh bruise and tighten beneath him. Yet he continued on, uncaring.

Until, that is, he realized Axel wasn't even trying to defend himself.

That same eye, the one with the shiner he had come to ignore, was staring passively up at him even as the other began to darken as well. Tomorrow, Axel would look like some sort of half-raccoon, half-lion, half-human hybrid.

And it was all because of him.

From the doorway, Roxas' mother was screeching at him to, "Leave that poor boy alone!" and below him, Axel was _smiling._

"I knew you still had it in you, Roxy. You're one step closer."

Horrified, Roxas scrambled off the lanky mans body, running home without looking back. If he'd turn to see, he would have noticed that Axel showed no signs of pain as he heaved himself up, dusted off his ass and then ambled from their driveway with naught but a final wayward glance.

Perhaps it was better that way as well.

"I don't know whether to ground you or congratulate you." His mother said sternly as he trudged past her. Shaking his head, he could only chuckle weakly as she closed the door behind them and ushered him into the kitchen.

"Let me wash your face, baby." She cooed, leading him to the sink.

Retrieving a fresh rag from the pull-out drawer on the counter, she turned the dial to warm and wet the rag, turning him sideways to brush at lip. It had begun to bleed, but only because he had bitten it himself in his fit of rage.

But he paid no attention to his dear mother, or to the sting of the rag, or the gush of water that proceeded to run at his side.

Because before them, over his mothers shoulder, was a mirror. And in it he could see his face staring back at him in horror, gaunt and pale, _dirty_.

To his mothers utmost surprise, Roxas began to scream.

* * *

First, sorry for the ugly ass bars. I've yet to figure out a way to put spacers between sections, and I don't want to use numbers or random letters.

Second, can anyone tell me what the deal with the traffic is? I see I'm getting reviews and alerts and stuff, but according to my traffic I haven't had a single reader on _anything _for about a week now. Anyone who can tell me what the deal is gets something shiny. Like a hubcap.

_Reviews are Love!~_


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